Sitcom Elements
Back to Help- Television shows are broken up by commercial breaks and an ACT is the section of show between each commercial break. Often the first ACT is a TEASER that comes before the credits.
- SCENE HEADING: Choose the location, time of day and note Interior (INT) or Exterior (EXT) for a given scene. Then write an ACTION line to provide more detail and describe the action as it happens. Don't forget to always write action in the present tense. You may notice action appears in all caps, making it more distinguishable from dialogue than it is in a SCREENPLAY.
- First write the CHARACTER name and then begin typing DIALOGUE. DIALOGUE in a sitcom is often very fast-paced. It is double-spaced here so actors can more easily read through their lines at the brisk pace required for most scenes. Typically, a CHARACTER LIST appears under the scene heading, indicating the characters in a scene. If you choose to include the character list option when generating a PDF of your script, the lists will be created automatically.
- PARENTHETICALS are used to indicate the character's demeanor or note to whom they are speaking. In the SITCOM format, these are embedded in the dialogue, not a separate line. We do provide a parenthical element, but only for the sake of format swapping.
- A SOUND CUE that is needed can be added to the script. This does not include music cues, though you can indicate songs or other diegetic music that plays within the scene into a line of action.
- A TRANSITION is used to change from one scene to another, but you don't need to write one every time. If none is present, it is assumed the transition is a CUT.